The Role of the Quantity Surveying Profession within the contemporary Built Environment

Before discussing the role of the quantity surveyor, it’s very important to get an idea about the built environment where the quantity surveyor works. Simply the built environment means human made buildings, cities, roads and surroundings etc.. that could provide an environment for their activities. The concept of the built environment was introduced in Greece in many centuries ago in the process of developing their cities using grid plans. But the modern concept of built environment is far more complex than that. Considering the contemporary built environment, with huge increase of the population in the world over the last century human desires are risen up and became more complicated. Similarly necessity to have houses, cities, roads, which is called built environment, has become compulsive aspect of human life. Since the Quantity Surveyor is a significant character of constructing that built environment, he/she has to play a vital role in it. The Origin of the Quantity Surveying What is the quantity surveying? According to the Seeley (1997), Quantity Surveying is a profession which would prepare an accurate bill of quantities to be priced by tendering contractors and who would measure and value any variations that might occur during the progress of the works. But when considering the history of this profession, the origin of quantity surveying carries us way back to the 17th century. In 1666 after the Great Fire, London was under restoration process it needed huge no. of workers like masons, carpenters and other tradesmen. Before the 1666 all the workers mentioned above got paid daily basis. But the large amount of labor needed to restore the city after the fire, it made governors to think twice and decided to pay each worker for the quantity of work they had done. It meant on behalf of the salary workers had been paid for the amount of carpentry, masonry and other works they had done. Therefore one person had to read the drawings of the buildings and take off the quantity of work each and every trade in the construction and at the same time he had to prepare an estimate for the total cost. And the Quantity Surveying profession was evolved to the current status after that incidence. History of the Quantity Surveying In early 70’s there was a misunderstanding about the profession that believing the â€Å"valuation† and the â€Å"measurement† are covering the whole area of quantity surveying. Therefore quantity surveying profession was highlighted only for its â€Å"Technical† role throughout that period. But measurement and valuation are only two functions performed by quantity surveyors. Because of this nature, many people believed that the functions done by the quantity surveyor can be undertaken by any person or machine that can perform arithmetic calculations, like a computer. â€Å"The QS is not a necessity in the order of things. Any convenient and cheap method of multiplying drawings and specifications and placing copies in the hands of each estimator would answer the same purpose and get rid of the QS for good† (Anon, 1889 cited in Wood, 2008). Changing roles of Quantity Surveying Despite all the above doubts quantity surveying profession was survived and presently regarded as one of the most expensive profession in the construction industry. Also quantity surveying is being known as a dynamic profession and its skills section had gone for different changes over the last decade or so. Smith (2004) mentioned that the quantity surveying profession has faced to considerable changes over the last decade in terms of scope and the type of contributions provided within and outside the construction process. Ashworth (1981) pointed out the changing role of the quantity surveyor in recent past has been significant. Traditional roles of Quantity Surveying Quantity Surveyor Is the person who giving advices and preparing documents regarding cost estimating and financial section of the construction process. Thirty years ago the role of quantity surveyor was to prepare Bill of Quantities and providing Final Accounts only. â€Å"The traditional role of quantity surveyor is the professional who provides advice about cost and financial management for the construction process. The traditional services provided are considered to be of a technical basis, such as preparing the cost plan and the bills of quantities, tender documentation and tender appraisal, interim payments, measuring and valuing variations, advising on anticipated final costs and preparing the final account† (Burnside and Westcott, 1999). Competencies of Quantity Surveying Quantity surveyors are also well known as a construction economists who perform various and wide range of duties to support the cost effective construction projects. The core competencies of quantity surveying profession such as determining the budgets of projects, measuring project quantities, preparing Bills of Quantities, cost control documents, administrating contracts, and preparing final accounts, etc.. should be maintained and enhanced in order to adapt to changes in many areas of the construction industry since the quantity surveyor’s success depends not only the skills which he/she has. Practitioners need to be far more adaptable and willing to change their standard work practices than in the past (Smith, 2004). Also the RICS has introduced and highlighted some basic and optional core competencies that required of quantity surveyors to enhance their ability to face the varying construction industry and they are as follows. Competencies required of Quantity Surveyors for professional Competency (RICS) Basic competencies Core competencies Optional competencies Personal and interpersonal skills Construction contract practice Arbitration & other dispute resolution procedures Business skills Construction technology and environmental services Development appraisal Data, information and information technology Economics of construction Facilities management Professional practice Procurement and financial management Insolvency Law Insurance Measurement Project management Mapping Property investment funding Research methodologies and techniques Valuation Taxation allowances & grants Apart from that, Information Technology has made huge impact on quantity surveying profession as though it is spread out all over the construction industry. Smith (2004; 2006) keep emphasized that all the professionals should have the knowledge of how to use the AUTOCAD properly and accurately and be an expertise in the field of construction without delaying. (Odeyinka, 2008) Stated that, commercially developed software packages are available worldwide to improve the performance of quantity surveyors. Frei, (2009) also stated that with the intention of developing the productivity and high performance of the industry it is necessary to invest in information technology (IT) and information communication technology (ICT). RICS (1991) In 1990s and 2000s, Quantity Surveyors should be more innovative, more pro-active and more mobile to solve the problems and the changing of client requirements. New skills and services will be progressively developed from continuous research and developments of new techniques. Evolving roles of Quantity Surveying The quantity surveying profession has been able to evolve and diversify into new areas of practicing, providing a wider range of services, with the modern quantity surveyor covering all aspects of project cost management, procurement and contract management (Lee, Trench and Willis 2011) (Menaha Thayaparan, et.al2011) â€Å"Deviating from its traditional â€Å"technical† role, during mid-80’s RICS has promoted the role of the Quantity Surveyor as â€Å"the Building Economist†, â€Å"Cost Engineer†, â€Å"Procurement consultant† and as a â€Å"Cost Consultant† (RICS, 1986; RICS, 1991). These roles have attributed more of a â€Å"managerial† image to the quantity surveying profession.† Since that dynamic nature of the profession, it has been shaped up to provide timely needs such as cost and value management, project management, procurement consultant, quality management, risk management, arbitration, and many more non-traditional services of the construction industry without limiting to its narrow scope. QSBC (2009) Has been suggested that the role of the quantity surveyor has outspread over time beyond its main scope of financial based concerns not only to cover the knowledge of values, cost, labor and materials, but also to include legal and contractual matters, like wise being a consultants on construction business and also has to be concern about developers, the government, contractors and the general project management. According to the facts which I have discussed so far, it has declared that Quantity Surveyors not only have to perform traditional roles by offering traditional services nevertheless also have to play contemporary roles by granting non-traditional or additional services to fill up the demand of this innovative and mutable construction industry. Apart from those cost concerned aspects discussed above, quantity surveyors are also needed to be conversant in construction management and procurement, contractual administration and legal aspects of construction within the modern built environment. Therefore it’s important to discuss about management knowledge of quantity surveyor which gives the ability to adapt to divers conditions and to solve problems emerge in financial and contractual sectors which are very unique for each and every construction projects. In the recent past years it has been not rare for quantity surveyors to widen their scope of profession and put themselves in a position of project manager with the amount of experience they have got. The importance of the Project Management is growing worldwide and it has huge impact on productivity and quality of the project. By using this art of leading and coordinating material and human resources in construction process called project management, Quantity surveyor will be able to complete project on time within the budget. â€Å"Is a quantity surveyor an estimator, contract manager or project manager? The short answer to this question is yes, yes and yes. People from a quantity surveying background may find working environment compatible with any of those roles because the training qualifications acquired from the quantity surveying create the pathways† (Donald Towey ,2012, pp.110) It is possible to list about 5 main evolved roles of the quantity surveying profession from the information mentioned above. 1. Client advocate and representative 2. Construction designing and economics 3. Construction planning and procurement 4. Construction administration and management 5. Project management Emerging roles of Quantity Surveying Not limiting to discussing about the changes that already has made an impact on the profession, it’s better to address about changes which are going to happen in near future to the quantity surveying profession. Due to the latest economic climate over the world, there are very fewer resources available to commence new building projects. But it has become viable with the finding of new ways to handle building project more cost-efficiently by modern quantity surveyors who has given the traditional and contemporary monetary roles. Whence, future changes of quantity surveying profession seem to be more compulsive and its influence to the construction industry should be more explored by the quantity surveyors. Sustainability, whole life costing and the building information modeling (BIM) are the three main emerging roles of quantity surveying profession. When it comes to the whole life costing, it is a technique that use intentionally to improve efficiency, sustainability and also it provides clear information to the client whether the project is going to be financially viable or not after built. Calculating the costs of building and the items included for its whole life is called whole life costing assessment. By carrying these assessments prior to any other works which has been taken into count maintenance, operational and demolition costs of the project with the consideration of the inflation, client will be able to get best value for his money. The concept of sustainable construction is becoming more significant in the world as we are trying to bring down the environmental pollution and the greenhouse gases globally. By using recycled material, installing innovative natural sourced systems (solar systems) and introducing efficient material, labor and waste management, Sustainability can be admitted to the construction industry. Building Information Modeling (BIM) compares all details about projects design and its construction and operation process to meet the maximum efficiency at any stage of the project by using a computer generated model. (BIMIWG 2011) Furthermore, capability of identifying number of variations in design and compare them with traditional measures in a second, reduces the workload of the quantity surveyor. Also the changes has being made to quantity surveying profession with BIM is enforced by the UK government as 3D-BIM modeling will be essential component of every project by 2016. (BIMIWG 2011) Conclusion In brief, this report has done a critical discussion on traditional and contemporary roles of quantity surveying, origin and history of the profession, key and core competencies of quantity surveying and also changing, evolved and emerging roles of quantity surveying profession. Due to the changing nature of client’s and the market demand the quantity surveying profession has evolved continuously during recent decades. Clients not only ask for traditional services but also request for nontraditional services like project management, procurement, construction administration in contemporary built environment. Also there are some emerging aspects like whole life costing assessments, sustainability and BIM that could add more changes to the quantity surveying profession in near future. Therefore, in order to develop their skills and practice Quantity Surveyors should be well aware of these changes and has to adapt to them quickly.

Macroecenomics

Everyone's Biggest Nightmare Ask anyone; the biggest nightmare out there is unemployment. It's something that no one ever wants to face in their lifetime. It effects not only their sleep and dreams, but their reality as well, which makes it worse than other nightmares. It effects how you live, how you eat, how you are able to present yourself to others, and so much more. You need money to function in this modern day world and you need a job in order to get that money. Unemployment also alters the economy. With more people unemployed, less money is filtered through to the government because people are trying to save their money and buy less.Being unemployed changes everything. â€Å"Unemployment occurs when an individual is without a job, or work, or is not actively seeking a job,† according to Wikipedia’s article broaching the subject. No real solution has been created to cure, or stop unemployment because the causes of unemployment stem out from so many different probl ems, both personal and economical. An example of a personal affair dealing with unemployment would be that while an employer cannot just simply fire you, in most cases, they can begin to make the workplace uncomfortable so you leave or wish to leave.An economical example would be like during times of recession, where unemployment rates are incredibly low, employers do not have the means of supporting a certain number of employees and are forced to let some of them go. There are also several different types of unemployment, the two main versions being structural and frictional. Structural Unemployment is based upon structural problems concerning the economy and different variations of supply and demand. While no real causes have been solidified, arguments blame disruptive technology and globalization.Frictional Unemployment focuses on voluntary decisions by an individual to work. Entry wages and wage rates are often the largest factor that effects the decision to take a job or not to . But nowadays, structural unemployment is the most common form of unemployment in the U. S. In January, the unemployment rate increased to 7. 9%. The unemployment rate is calculated by taking the number of the unemployed and dividing it by the labor force. Then you times it by a hundred and you get the percentage of unemployment, or the unemployment rate. President Obama's expensive â€Å"stimulus† plan was supposed to bring that number down to 5. % by now, but it hasn't. The economic state isn't improving and, in the article U. S. Unemployment: Our Long Economic Nightmare Continues, it is stated that the economic growth isn't growing at all. There is something seriously wrong with our economy today, but economists can't understand what it is or how to fix it. No one person can directly effect the economy so little changes must be made in order for the economy to get better at all. Like stated in the book, losing a job can be the most distressing economic event in a person's life.People rely on earnings from work to maintain their standard of living. Losing a job can create problems concerning both the present and the future. It lowers your standard of living and you struggle to make ends meet. It creates anxiety about the future, about how things will pan out, and about how it will effect the other members of your immediate family. Losing a job can even lower your self esteem. Bringing in money and contributing to the pay of important necessities, like bills or food items or clothing, can bring about a sense of personal accomplishment to an individual.The normal rate of unemployment in which the rate is able to fluctuate is called the natural rate of unemployment, while the deviation of unemployment from it's natural rate is called cyclical unemployment. The normal rate of unemployment and cyclical unemployment effect the rates of unemployment each year. No matter what we do, there is always some version or form of unemployment, even if the economy is doing really, really well. There are four different reasons for this. First off, it takes time for unemployed individuals to search for find jobs that are suited towards their ideal way of living and to their standard means of living.Another reason there is always unemployment fluctuating within an economy is that the number of jobs available may be insufficient to give a job to everyone, everyone who wants a job, that is. When the quantity of work exceeds the amount demanded, this particular example occurs. The third reason is the availability of jobs and the best way to search for them. Although we have been gifted with the Internet, we still struggle to to find jobs. The last problem is Unemployment Insurance. While they may not necessarily mean to, the program increases the amount of frictional unemployment. My dad lost his job last summer.He'd been working for the company for years, but due to the economy, his position wasn't viewed as a necessity and they ended up letting him go. It was horrible because we went from living well below our means to living well above. Our only income was a teacher's salary, which isn't much for a family of five. The first week of unemployment was spent in shock. My dad, mom, and I sat at the kitchen table and discussed possible outcomes and solutions to our newest problem. While my dad searched for jobs at home on the computer, I did house work and yard work for our neighbors to help bring in some kind of income.It was so stressful. We couldn't just go out to eat anymore, we had to actually cook because it was cheaper. Books, movies, things that we could just run out and get when we were bored couldn't happen anymore. Before we did anything, took any kind of trip, we had to plan out exactly how much everything would cost. It really changed me and the perspective I had on life. In a few years, I will be moving out on my own and it will be up to me to make sure I have enough money to live comfortably. Like when my dad was un employed, I will have to watch every penny like a hawk and make sure my money is well spent.It's challenging and something everyone will witness at some point in their lifetime, whether it effects them directly or they are watching from the sidelines. It really is America's most common and largest nightmare. Works Cited: â€Å"Unemployment. † Wikipedia. N. p. , 01 Feb 2013. Web. 6 Feb 2013. ;http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Unemployment;. Woodhill, Louis. â€Å"U. S. Unemployment: Our Long Economic Nightmare Continues. † Forbes. N. p. , 05 Feb 2013. Web. 6 Feb 2013. ;http://www. forbes. com/sites/louiswoodhill/2013/02/05/u-s-unemployment-our-long-economic-nightmare-continues/;.

A Variety of Society Factors Cause Homelessness Essay

National Coalition for the Homeless is a charity that fights to end the homelessness through grassroots organizing, public education, and policy advocacy. They have pointed out the causes for the increasing number of homeless people in the U.S since 2000 in the article â€Å"A Variety of Social Factors Causes Homelessness.† Why is the number of the homeless people increasing day after day in the U.S? Poverty and the homelessness are the current controversial problem that has so many different causes from different countries all over the world. There are three main factors that the National Coalition for the Homeless pointed out in their article such as eroding work opportunities, a decline in public assistance, and a lack of affordable housing in the U.S. Do the authors clearly explain the problem in their article? For an article to be effective, it is imperative that it is clear on its purpose. In the previous essay, the author is successful in identifying the principle behind the article. From the first paragraph, the author is focused on addressing the causes of homelessness in the society (National Coalition for the Homeless 1). Therefore, the reader is aware of the rationale behind the article and its functions after reading the first paragraph. Importantly, this is observable in the consequent paragraphs of the article. The heading choice is consistent with the purpose of the article. The key words in the heading depict that the author is exploring the issue of homelessness in the society. The topic depicts that there are numerous social factors that contribute to the issue of homelessness. This influences the mindset of the readers when they are engaging the article, since they are aware of the contents of the essay, which clarifies that homelessness is a result of complex social factors. This is instrumental in ensuring that the readers comprehend the contents of the article better. When exploring the problem in the article, the author focuses on the predicament of homelessness. In addition, the author uses relevant examples to highlight the problem in depth. This is evident in the statistical data in the third paragraph, which is relevant to the U.S. society: In 2000, 11.3% of the U.S. population, or 31.1 million people, lived in poverty. While the number of poor people has decreased a bit in recent years, the number of people living in extreme poverty has increased (National Coalition of Homelessness, paragraph 3, page 1). The author uses information on poverty levels, and current housing situations to explore the issue of homelessness comprehensively. The author is also clear on the causes of the previous problem. In the article, the author identifies poverty and lack of housing, which is affordable as the primary cause for homelessness in the society. These statistics from the Institute for Children and Poverty are particularly revealing: In the institute fo r Children and Poverty study, 37% of homelessness families had their welfare benefits reduced or cut last year. Additionally, a second study of six states found that between 1997 and 1998, 25% of families who had stopped receiving welfare in the last six months doubled-up on housing to save money, and 23% moved because they could not pay rent (National Coalition of Homelessness, page 2 – 3). However, other secondary causes are also highlighted in the article, and this includes lack of employment, low wages, and a decrease in social support, among others. The author correlates the secondary and primary causes to explore the problem. Despite the author actively highlighting the homelessness problem being experienced in the society, there is not solution provided for the problems. The author concentrates on the social factors which contribute to the problem and how they contribute. The essay is exhaustive when exploring the topic. The author uses numerous examples to explain the significance of the problem. For instance, the author explores the significance of the health sector in the issue of homelessness. This example gives a new dimension to the topic and shows the complexity of the social issues causing homelessness. In addition, the article is valid. This is due to the author’s use of authoritative sources in the field. This is evident in the statistical data, from studies by the Housing and Urban Development (HUD), on the previous problem. The author also engages credible and accurate information on the issue giving the article authority on the topic. The author uses relevant evidence to support the claims of the article. For instance, on this issue of poverty, the author quotes data of average incomes, which is earned by American families: In the data, a 1998 study estimated that 46% of the jobs with the most growth between 1994 and 2005 pay less than $16,000 a year; these jobs will not lift families out of poverty. Moreover, 74% of these jobs pay below a livable wage ($32,185 for a family of four) (National Coalition of Homelessness, page 2). This shows the level of income earned by the American population and its influence in the housing sector. The article also has other relevant examples to support the author’s sentiments. The argument of the author also appeals to the readers emotions. This is clear in the approach of the author to highlight the effect of poverty on society and its influence on homelessness. This elicits emotions from the audience since the issues affect are relatable to the human situation. The article is characterized by the use of data and studies from various authorities on the issue. The author has been effective in making the key words in these studies clear for the audience through elaboration. Therefore, the important words in the article are defined effectively. In the second article, â€Å"Homelessness is not society’s problem,† the author uses a challenging title, in that the view is provocative to the addressees. This appears to be a controversial perspective concerning the issue of homelessness due to the emotions related to the topic (Carnacchio 1). Despite the rationale of the article, the argument is not valid since the society cannot disassociate itself from social problems. However, the second article gives for the readers more sides of view about the homeless people. Only some of the homeless people who are not willing to assume the responsibilities associated with maintaining a job and a permanent residence. As White points out, â€Å"In Los Angeles’ inner city, Paul Koegel and M. Audrey Burnam found that nearly 80% of alcoholics in their sample of homeless adults ‘reported that their first alcoholic symptom occurred before they were first homeless’ and that in 57% of the cases this occurred at l east five years before their first episode of homelessness.† (Carnacchio, page 2). The article â€Å"A Variety of Social Factors Causes Homelessness† provides a solid argument concerning the issue of homelessness. The author appears to be conversant with the topic and cites authoritative sources on the issue. The topic is instrumental in highlighting the numerous social factors that contribute to homelessness in the American society. Furthermore, homelessness is still a serious problem which has so many different causes but the society have not had the solutions for this problem. From all information of the article, I have learned more knowledge about the causes of homelessness in the U.S. which is a well-developed country but it does exist the homelessness. The cause is not only from the society, but it is also among to all people who are living in this world assume the responsibility for their life and their families. Works Cited National Coalition for the Homeless. A Variety of Social Factors Causes Homelessness. Current Controversies: Poverty and the Homeless. Mary E. Williams. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2004. Opposing Viewpoints Resources Center. Gale. Houston Community College. 18. Jan 2013. Carnacchio, C. J. Homelessness Is Not Society’s Problem. Opposing Viewpoints: The Homeless. Ed. Jennifer A. Hurley. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2002. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Houston Community College. 21. Jan 2013.

Case study on Dobai World company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Case study on Dobai World company - Essay Example On the other hand there are three companies namely Nakheel, Limitless and Leisure Corporation which are operating in urban development sector. In financial service sector there are Istithmar world and Dubai multi commodities centre (Dubai World, n.d.). DP world is involved in operating marine terminals, whereas Dry Docks and Dubai maritime city are involved in creating maritime and ship-building hub in Dubai. EZW runs several free economic zones across the world. Leisure Corporation is involved in investment and development of various opportunities in leisure and sports industry. All these companies are working under Dubai World Company. Careful investment and pragmatic acquisitions are two major drivers of the business strategy of Dubai World Company. Company’s strategies are developed with the objective of delivering measureable and real results to the stakeholders. Being one of the largest organizations in the world, Dubai World Company always focus on three major factors while making any strategy. These three are corporate objectives, social responsibility and environmental conservation. Each and every company of Dubai World has separate strategies which enable them to succeed in their respective industry. DP world’s strategies are always focused on profitable growth across the world by continuously meeting its commitments towards its customers and people. On the other hand Leisure Corporation is a leading golf company in the world. As a result its strategies are made with the objective of becoming the largest golf company in the world. Company believes in partnership strategy. The company is a lon g term strategic partner of European Tour. The company is also involved in ski resort and marina sector. Dubai World’s business strategies have always included expansion strategy. In 1999, the company first took major expansion strategy to capitalize on the overseas market.

Digital Divide Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Digital Divide - Essay Example It also highlights the major issues confronting these underdeveloped nations and the current developments thereof in the pursuit of creating an information society. The rapid dispersion of information and communication technologies is gradually transforming the world into an information society that is unbounded in terms of access to knowledge and communication facilities. In this regard, it is very crucial for any country to provide its people with the required knowledge and make possible an equal access to information and communication technologies so as to take an active part in the information revolution. The most significant concern within this perspective is the prevailing discrepancy as to the availability, access and usage of technology around the world, which deprives human being of their ultimate right to knowledge. Cullen (2001, p311) illuminates that, "the 'digital divide' has become a convenient metaphor to describe the perceived disadvantage of those who either are unable or do not choose to make use of these technologies in their daily life". This information poverty existing among and even within countries tends to be the most serious concern for today's information society. The world is diverse with regard to geographical, cultural, economic and social patterns. Selwyn (2004, p355) elaborates that, "many of the differences that the digital divide pertains towards can be traced back to clear differentiation in the technological capital i.e. fundamental differences in the cultural, economic and social resources that individuals and communities can command when engaging with technology". Hence, all these aspects happen to play a distinct role in the dispersion and availability of knowledge and technology in different parts of the world. The most eminent of the 'digital divide' remains to be the one that exists between the developed and underdeveloped countries characterised by a wide gap in all these 'socio-economic' aspects. Selwyn (2004, p345) connote that, "the digital divide is a marked feature of any information society". The digital divide across the globe occurs due to the "socio-economic, technological and linguistic" discrepancies prevailing among nations and societies. Also, the differences vis--vis the education and skills required to avail the information technology mark a wide range of global inequality. The knowledge of English language in several parts of the world is also considered crucial for being able to use the Internet. In this context, there happen to be significant variation concerning Internet usage and information access between developed and underdeveloped countries of the world. For instance, the rate of Internet access in Italy is the lowermost as compared to any other country in the developed world; however, it is still much higher than that of some developing countries such as China (Chen and Wellman, 2004). The Information Society And Third World Countries Third world countries, especially the least developed ones, have highly restrained access to the information technology. Ogunsola and Okusaga (2006, p349) says that, "in many parts of the developing countries ICT is available only on a very limited scale, and this raises doubts about developing countries' ability to participate in the current ICT-induced global knowledge economy". These countries mostly falling under the domains of Africa, South

Eng 121 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Eng 121 - Essay Example It stimulates too certain physical reactions such as fading of facial appearance, widening of eyes and mouth opening, drying of mouth, raising of eyebrows, quickening of heart rates, increasing of blood pressure, tightening of muscles, redirecting of senses , erecting of skin hairs , nervous responses including shaking of hands etc. One has many fears - fear of death, fear of small creatures and animals like spiders, snakes, lion, tigers etc., heights, water including swimming, mountains, plane riding, driving, violence, the list is endless. Swimming is feared for drowning which may cause much fatal and can take away the life even. Some specific fear occurs as a result of learning in one’s life like, if a child falls in a well or pond and finds very difficult to come out then the child would remain afraid of water until his / her life. Fear sometimes becomes a part of human nature through natural selections like fear from animals, heights, clouds, etc. This human nature fear is also known as preparedness. Some fears occur through historical and cultural influences. Fear from universal truth like fear of death. Fear can be described in degree from mild to extreme and relates with variety of emotional states like anxiety. worry, terror, horror, panic attacks etc. which change the normal behavior. During childhood parents often find very difficult to consol their children that there is actual no fear despite it becomes a part of the life of the child. Childhood fear can have a negative effect on the growth of the child and may sometimes create problems in his / her life. Like other natural fears more peopl e are either fear from swimming or afraid of water. It is natural phenomena that water individual. It is highly recommended to share the fear with others who may not just help the victim in return but can benefit them too. There are many ways or approaches to deal fear:

The Acme Company Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Acme Company - Case Study Example The Acme Corporation is looking for an international bank to manage its bank related operations on a global scale. Citibank is considered to be one of the biggest banks of the world and it has operations all over the world. The bank is located in more than 100 countries and it has more than 200 million customers around the world. Compliance is the biggest issue in corporate banking and Citibank's fraud management team is considered to be the best in the business. Acme's banking issues can easily be resolved by Citibank because of their swiftness in operations. Among all the international banks Citibank has more branches in Asia and in the Middle East as compared to all other international banks. The bank can tailor made the services and provide effective services for global organizations. In the case of managing the working capital "Citibank" is the best choice because it provides services like liquidity management, international and domestic clearances, check outsourcing systems etc. The bank offers internet bases banking and swift transfer through the wire transfer options. The centralization of cash can be done easily through Citibank. The clearing service of Citibank is amongst the top in the world and the frequency of transactions is $1 trillion per day.

Changes in Public Speaking from Ancient Greece to Modernity Research Paper

Changes in Public Speaking from Ancient Greece to Modernity - Research Paper Example While crowds today may reach into the billions, speakers today are equipped with microphones, television, internet, and radio to reach the people. In Greece, the speaker not only had to have the passion for his subject but also had to have the ability to remember long quotes and ideas and to be able to amplify their voice for a long enough time to get their ideas across. Today, speakers can depend on note cards and prepared speeches, while Greeks had to rely solely on their memories. Today, unlike then, speakers are also not required to write their own speeches, and in fact, may not know the material until they step in front of a microphone. Effective speaking requires that the speaker be clear in what they are saying, and look and act convincingly. Eye movement, gesturing, even the subtle shifts of the person talking are all subject to interpretation by the listeners. While the movement of the speaker has mattered throughout history, it is only contemporarily that it can be shown, again and again, allowing an endless reinterpretation of meaning. Speaking before recording allowed the speaker to speak with passion, and while mistakes were still not desired, they were more forgivable. A grammatical mistake, for example, would be corrected in the speech was actually written down. Today, those same errors are lauded over the speaker and are used as ways to discredit them. Greeks did not permit women to speak publicly, and also had a unique way of stopping people who were not interesting enough. If the speaker lost the attention of the people, they were physically dragged off of the stage by the watchers. Today, we are required to sit politely by and let them finish out their speech or change the channel on the television. Public speaking was one of the most important skills an Athenian had. According to Nancy Harper: For many years, the Athenian could not hire a professional to speak for him in court. Each Athenian jury consisted of several hundred persons, and the citizen, whether the accuser or the accused, had to use his ability as a public speaker to persuade a majority of the jury to believe in his side of the case. Because lawsuits were common in Athens, legal speaking became the central concern of early communication instruction. (Warren 2)

Diversity Audit Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Diversity Audit - Research Paper Example This unit examines a newly created organization and the effects of application of diversity audit on its operations. Creating an Organization A thriving organization ought to be effectual and well-organized in its operations. An effectual organization should be unique and should take into deliberation its staff and clients needs. A good example of a business organization is the bread baking industry. The organization takes into deliberation of its client’s satisfaction, as a result, serves both its interests and the community’s interests (Collins, Denis, 153). Company’s Background and History on One Page The bread baking organization has been in operation for the last two years. The company has organization chart, which governs the daily running of behavior inside the organization. The chart is prearranged according to the flow of authority within the company. The person at the top of the company is the boss followed by the assistant boss. Third in the position a re the departmental managers, and lastly are the employees. The company was started because of the high demand that was prevalent in society (Collins, 231). The manager He or she is the individual who supervise the day by day running of the organization. He makes all the judgments pertaining to the daily running of the organization. ... Their roles include coordinating the activities within the company to yield the maximum profits. Workers They are individuals the company employs to aid in the production process. They possess unique skills because of working in a range of departments with dissimilar task to perform. The company has engaged a total of two hundred employees. Conducting a Diversity Audit on the Organization The company’s objective is to satisfy the clients need while maximizing the company’s profits. The organization’s objectives are achievable only when the company’s aspects are reviewed to examine the effective ones from the non-effective ones, as a consequence there is a need to carry a diversity audit on the company. Evaluation and Recommendations for the Organization In Terms Of the Diversity Audit The diversity facilitates evaluation of the company’s merits and demerits. It assesses the company’s procedures, strategies and administration to determine area s where to review to lead to a positive change in the company. The evaluation of the company’s workers is that they are not properly aggravated; as a result, they do not give the company their bests. Secondly the policies of the business do not cater for the employees entire requirements. The promotion criterion in the strategies does not consider the firms employees, since there are no set criteria in the firm for promoting the employees. Lastly, the diversity audits conducted on the management showed the management was not contended with their basic wages, as a result, there did not effectively supervise the firm’s daily operations. After the diversity audit, there are a variety of proposals implemented to make

Non-Destructive Testing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Non-Destructive Testing - Essay Example NDT is popular because of its harmless and unfaltering association with the final product to check its quality. As we acknowledge, all materials are imperfect, but this is only of concern if the imperfections adversely affect intermediate processing or use of the finished product. In order to detect imperfections, some form of testing is necessary that will not have a detrimental effect on the materials/components.NDT encompasses all the test methods that, when applied to a component, do not impair its subsequent utilization (Colangelo, p 44) If the testing does not destroy or damage the material in any way it is known as Non - Destructive Testing (NDT). NDT is crucial in characterizing final products into "zero defect" and "potentially flawed" parts, this characterization is fast and easy. Hence, the quality control is easy itself. For instance, let us take an example of a steel plant which makes "railroads". There is a specific dimensional requirement of every piece and also there is some maximum tolerance level for cracks and porosity holes in those pieces. Using NDT (laser and X-Ray techniques, we can determine the dimensions and flaws inside the rails in a very short period of time). A number of techniques are used in NDT; each is generally dependent on a different energy system. Techniques range from ordinary macroscopic examination with white light to the complex procedure of neutron radiography, each method having an area in which it yields optimum performance (Colangelo, p44) though it can often be used successfully on marginal situations when the need arises. In present case we will discuss TWO vastly used NDT methods: 1. Magnetic Particle Inspection (MPI) 2. Ultrasonic Testing MPI Magnetic Particle Inspection offers a means for the detection of surface and slightly subsurface discontinuities in ferromagnetic materials (Colangelo, p 48). MPI is not applicable to non-ferromagnetic materials thus many structural metals like austenitic stainless steel, aluminum magnesium, copper and titanium are excluded from this inspection. Only ferromagnetic materials are inspected through this method. Magnetic particle inspection (MPI) is a widely used nondestructive inspection method for aerospace applications essentially limited to experiment-based approaches (Betz 1997). The analysis of MPI properties that affect sensitivity and reliability contributes not only reductions in inspection design cost and time but also improvement of analysis of experimental data. Choosing a particle medium, consider the application. For convenience, select dry particles when inspecting large components such as forgings. Wet-particle inspection, often requiring a tank complete with stirring and pumping machinery, works well for production-line Magnetic Testing inspection. This approach is especially useful when the operator must examine large numbers of small, similarly sized components. When portability is important, particularly for field

Judicial Law-Making Essay Example for Free

Judicial Law-Making Essay The independence of the judiciary was ensured by the act of settlement 1700, which transferred the power to sack judges from the crown to the parliament. Consequently, judges should theoretically make their decisions based purely on the logical deductions of precedent, uninfluenced by political or career considerations. The eighteenth century legal commentator, William Blackstone, introduced the declaratory theory of law, stating that judges do not make law, but merely, by the rules of precedence, discover and declare the law that has always been: the judge being sworn to determine, not according to his private sentiments ot according to his own private judgement, but according to the known laws and customs of the land: not delegated to pronounce a new law, but to maintain an expound the old one. Blackstone does not accept that precedent does not even offer a choice between two or more interpretations of the law: where a bad decision is made, he states, the new one that reverses or overrules it is not a new law, nor a statement that the old decision was bad law, but a declaration that the previous decision was â€Å"not law†, in other words that it was the wrong answer. His view presupposes that there is always one right answer, to be deduced from the objective study of precedence. Today, however, this position is considered somewhat unrealistic. If the operation of precedent is the precise science Blackstone suggested, a large majority of cases in the higher courts would never come to court at all. The lawyers concern could simply look up the relevant case law and predict what the decision would be, then advise whichever of the clients would be bound to lose not to bother bringing or fighting the case. In a civil case, or any appeal case, no good lawyer would advise a client to bring or defend the case that they had no chance of winning. Therefore, where such a case is contested, it can be assumed that, unless one of the lawyers has made a mistake, it could go either way, and still be in accordance with the law. In practice, thus, judges decisions may not be as neutral as Blackstones declaratory theory suggests: they have to make choices which are by no means spelled out by precedent. Yet, rather than openly stating that they are choosing between two or more equally relevant precedents, the courts find ways to avoid awkward ones, which give them the impression that the precedents they do choose to follow are the only ones they could possibly apply. Ronald Dworkin argues that judges have no real discretion in making case law. He sees law as a seamless web of principles, which supply a right answer and only one to every possible problem. Dworkin reasons that although stated legal rules may run out (in the sense of not being directly applicable to a new case) legal principles never do, and therefore judges never need to use their own discretion. In his book, laws empire 1986, professor Dworkin claims that judges first look at previous cases, and from those deduce which principles could be said to apply to the case for them. They then consult their own sense of justice as to which apply, and also consider what the communities view of justice dictates. Where the judges view and that of the community coincide, there is no problem, but if they conflict, the judges then ask themselves whether or not it would be fair to impose their own sense of justice over that of the community. Dworkin calls this the interpretive approach and, although it may appear to involve a series of choices, he considers that the legal principles underlying the decisions mean that in the end, only one result could possibly surface from any one case. Dworkins approach has been heavily criticised as being unrealistic: opponents believe that judges do not consider principles of justice but take a much more pragmatic approach, looking at the facts of the case, not the principles. Critical legal theorists, like as David Kairys (1998) take a quite different view. They argue that judges have considerable freedom within the doctrine of precedent. Kairys suggests that there is no such thing as legal reasoning in the sense of a logical, neutral method of determining rules and results from what has gone before. He states that judicial decisions are actually based on a complex mixture of social, political, institutional, experiential, and personal factors, and are simply legitimated, or justified, by reference to previous cases. The law provides a wide and conflicting variety of such justifications from which courts pick and choose. The process is not necessarily as cynical as it sounds. Kairys points out that he is not saying that judges actually make the decision and then consider which precedents they can pick to justify it: rather their own eliefs and prejudices naturally lead them to give more weight to precedents which support both views. Nevertheless, for critical legal theorists, all such decisions can be seen as reflecting social and political judgements, rather than objective, purely logical deductions. Critical theory argues that the neutral appearance of so called legal reasoning disguises the true nature of legal decisions which, by the choices made, uphold existing power relations within society, tending to favour, for example, employers over employees, property owners over those without, men over women, and rich, developed countries over poor, undeveloped ones. Griffith (1997) argues that judges make their decisions based on what they see as the public interest, but that their view of this interest is coloured by their background and their position in society. He points out that judges’ view of public interest assumes that the interests of all the members of society are roughly the same, ignoring the fact that within society, different groups, employers and employees, men and women, rich and poor – may have interests which are diametrically opposite. What appears to be acting in public interest will usually mean in the interest of one group over another, and therefore cannot be seen as neutral. Waldron, in his book ‘The Law’ (1989), agrees that judges do make law, and that they are influenced in those instances of law-making by political and ideological considerations, but argues that this is not necessarily a bad thing. He contends that while it would be wrong for judges to be biased towards one side in a case, or to make decisions based on political factors in the hope of promotion, it is unrealistic to expect a judge to be ‘a political neuter – emasculated of all values and principled commitments’. Although judges have traditionally seen themselves as declaring or finding rather than creating law, and frequently state that making law is the prerogative of the parliament, there are several areas in which they clearly do make law. In the first place, historically, a great deal of English law is and always has been case law, made by judicial decisions. Contract and tort law are still largely judge made, and many of the most important developments for example, the development of negligence as a tort have had profound effects. Even though statutes have later been passed in these subjects, and occasionally parliament has attempted to embody whole areas of common law in statutory form, these still embody the original principles created by the judges. Secondly, the application of law, whether case law or statute, to a particular case is not usually an automatic matter. Terminology may be vague or ambiguous, new developments and social life have to be accommodated, and the procedure requires interpretation as well as application. As we have suggested, judicial precedent does not always make a particular decision obvious and obligatory there may be conflicting precedents, their implications may be unclear, and there are ways of getting round a precedent that may otherwise produce an undesirable decision. If it is accepted that Blackstones declaratory theory does not apply in practice, then clearly the judges do make law, rather than explaining the law that is already there. The theories advanced by Kairys, Griffith, and Waldron, all accept that judges do have discretion, and therefore they do to some extent make law. Where precedents do not spell out what should be done in a case before them, judges nevertheless have to make a decision. They cannot simply say that the law is not clear and refer it back to parliament, even though in some cases they point out that the decision before them would be more appropriately decided by those who have been elected to make decisions on changes in the law. This was the case in Airedale NHS Trust v Bland (1993), where the House of Lords considered the fate of Tony Bland, the football supporter left in a coma, after the Hillsborough stadium disaster. The court had to decide whether it was lawful to stop supplying the drugs and artificial feeding that were keeping Bland alive, even though it was known that doing so would mean his death soon afterwards. Several law lords made it plain that they felt that cases raising wholly new moral and social issues; should be decided by the Parliament, the judges role being to apply the principles which society, through the democratic process, adopts, not to impose their standards on society. Nevertheless, the courts had no option but to make the decision one way or another, and they decided that the action was lawful in the circumstances, because it was in the patients best interests. Thirdly, our judges have been left to define their own role, and the role of the courts generally in the political system, more or less as they please. They have, for example, given themselves the power to review decisions of any public body, even when parliament has said those decisions are not to be reviewed. In addition, despite their frequent pronouncements that it is not for them to interfere in parliaments law making role, the judges have made it plain that they will not, unless forced by very explicit wording, interpret statutes as encroaching on common law rights or judge made law. They also control the operation of case law without reference to parliament : an obvious example is that the 1966 practice statement announcing that the HOL would no longer be bound by its own decisions, which made case law more flexible and thereby gave the judges more power, was made on the courts own authority, without needing permission from parliament. The HOL has explained its approach to judicial law-making (which is likely to be the same for the Supreme Court) in the case of C (a minor) v DPP 1995, which raised the issue of childrens liability for crime. The common law defence of doli incapax provided that a D aged between 10 and 14 could be liable for a crime only if the prosecution could prove that the child knew that what he or she did was seriously wrong. On appeal from the magistrates’ court, the divisional court held that the defence was outdated and should no longer exist in law. An appeal was brought before the HOL arguing that the divisional court was bound by precedent and not able to change the law in this way. the HOL agreed and went on to consider whether it should change the law itself (as the 1966 practice statement clearly allowed it to do), but decided that this was not an appropriate case for judicial law making.

La Indolencia de Los Filipinos Essay Example for Free

La Indolencia de Los Filipinos Essay La indolencia de los filipinos (y de los estudiantes tambien) 1. What was the effect of conviction of inferiority? -The child or youth who tries to be anything else is blamed with vanity and presumption; the curate ridicules him with cruel sarcasm, his relatives look upon him with fear, strangers regard him with great compassion. No forward movement Get back in the ranks and keep in line! With his spirit thus molded the native falls into the most pernicious of all routines: routine not planned but imposed and forced. Note that the native himself is not naturally inclined to routine but his mind is disposed to accept all truth, just as his house is open to all strangers. The good and the beautiful attract him, seduce and captivate him although like the the Japanese he often exchanges the good for the evil, if it appears to him garnished and gilded. What he lacks is in the first place liberty to allow expansion to his adventuresome spirit, and good examples, beautiful prospects for the future. It is necessary that his spirit, although it may be dismayed and cowed by the elements and the fearful manifestation of their mighty forces, store up energy, seek high purposes, in order to struggle against obstacles in the midst of unfavorable natural conditions. In order that he may progress it is necessary that a revolutionary spirit, so to speak, should boil in his veins, since progress necessarily requires the present; the victory of new ideas over the ancient and accepted one. It will not be sufficient to speak to his fancy, to talk nicely to him, nor that the light illuminate him like the ignis fatuus that leads travelers astray at night: all the flattering promises of the fairest hopes will not suffice, so long as his spirit is not free, his intelligence is not respected. 2. What is the meaning of the statement, tila ka kastila? The pernicious example of the dominators in surrounding themselves with servants and despising manual or corporal labor as a thing unbecoming the nobility and chivalrous pride of the heroes of so many centuries; those lordly airs, which the natives have translated into tila ka castila, and the desire of the dominated to be the equal of the dominators, if not essentially, at least in their manners; all this had naturally to produce aversion to activity and fear or hatred of work. 3. What does Rizal mean by saying that indolence in the Philippines is a chronic but not an inherited disease? When in consequence of a long chronic illn ess the condition of the patient is examined, the question may arise whether the weakening of the fibers and the debility of the organs are the cause of the maladys continuing or the effect of the bad treatment that prolongs its action. The attending physician attributes the entire failure of his skill to the poor constitution of the patient, to the climate, to the surroundings, and so on. On the other hand, the patient attributes the aggravation of the evil to the system of treatment followed. Only the common crowd, the inquisitive populace, shakes its head and cannot reach a decision. Something like this happens in the case of the Philippines. Instead of a physician, read government, that is friars, employees, etc. Instead of patient, Philippines; instead of malady, indolence. 4. What proofs did Rizal give to show that pre-Spanish Malayans were not indolent? -Before the arrival of the Europeans, the Malayan Filipinos carried on an active trade, no only among themselves but also with all the neighboring countries. All the histories of those first years, in short, abound in long accounts about the industry and agriculture of the natives; mines, gold-washings, looms, farms, barter, naval construction, raising of poultry and stock, weaving of silk and cotton, distilleries, manufactures of arms, pearl fisheries, the civet industry, the horn and hide industry, etc. , are things encountered at every step, and considering the time and the conditions in the islands, prove that there was life, there was activity, there was movement. 5. How did it happen that the industrious pagan culture was transformed into that of an indolent Christian culture? -We have already spoken of the more or less latent predisposition which exists in the Philippines toward indolence, and which must exist everywhere, in the whole world, in all men, because we all hate work more or less, as it may be more or less hard, more ore less unproductive. The dolce far niente of the Italian, the rascarse la barriga of the Spaniard, the supreme aspiration of the bourgeois to live on his income in peace and tranquility, attest this. It seems that there are causes more than sufficient to breed indolence in the midst of a beehive. Thus is explained why, after thirty-two years of the system, the circumspect and prudent Morga said that the natives have forgotten much about farming, raising poultry, stock and cotton and weaving cloth, as they used to do in their paganism and for a long time after the country had been conquered! 6. Why does the city of Hong Kong have more commercial and trade activities than the whole of the Philippines? It has more commercial movement than all the islands together, because it is free and is well governed. The great difficulty that every enterprise encountered with the administration contributed not a little to kill off all commercial and industrial movement. All the Filipinos, as well as all those who have tried to engage in business in the Philippines, know how many documents, what comings, how many stamped papers, how much patience is needed to secure from the government a permit for an enterprise. One must count upon the good will of this one, on the influence of that one, on a good bribe to another in order that the application be not pigeon-holed, a present to the one further on so that it may pass it on to his chief; one must pray to God to give him good humor and time to see and examine it; to another, talent to recognize its expediency; to one further on sufficient stupidity not to scent behind the enterprise an insurrectionary purpose land that they may not all spend the time taking baths, hunting or playing cards with the reverend friars in their convents or country houses. And above all, great patience, great knowledge of how to get along, plenty of money, a great deal of politics, many salutations, great influence, plenty of presents and complete resignation! 7. Was there gambling in the country before the coming of the Spaniards? -Yes, we do not mean to say that before the coming of the Spaniards the natives did not gamble: the passion for gambling is innate in adventuresome and excitable races, and such is the Malay, Pigafetta tells us of cockfights and of bets in the Island of Paragua. Cock-fighting must also have existed in Luzon and in all the islands, for in the terminology of the game are two Tagalog words: sabong and tari (cockpit and gaff). But there is not the least doubt that the fostering of this game is due to the government, as well as the perfecting of it. 8. What are the effects of too many religious festivals on the country? Remember, that lack of capital and absence of means paralyze all movement, and you will see how the native was perforce to be indolent for if any money might remain to him from the trials, imposts and exactions, he would have to give it to the curate for bulls, scapularies, candles, novenaries, etc. And if this does not suffice to form an indolent character, if the climate and nature are not enough in themselves to daze him and deprive him of all energy, recall then that the doctrine of his religion teach him to irrigate his fields in the dry season, not by means of canals but with amasses and prayers; to preserve his stock during an epidemic with holy water, exorcisms and benedictions that cost five dollars an animal, to drive away the locusts by a procession with the image of St. Augustine, etc. It is well, undoubtedly, to trust greatly in God; but it is better to do what one can not trouble the Creator every moment, even when these appeals redound to the benefit of His ministers. We have noticed that the countries which believe most in miracles are the laziest, just as spoiled children are the most ill-mannered. Whether they believe in miracles to palliate their laziness or they are lazy because they believe in miracles, we cannot say; but he fact is the Filipinos were much less lazy before the word miracle was introduced into their language. 9. What other evidence may be pointed out to show the lack of national sentiment? -The very limited training in the home, the tyrannical and sterile education of the rare centers of learning that blind subordination of the youth to one of greater age, influence the mind so that a man may not aspire to excel those who preceded him but must merely be content to go along with a march behind them. Stagnation forcibly results from this, and as he who devotes himself merely to copying divests himself of other qualities suited to his own nature, he naturally becomes sterile; hence decadence. Indolence is a corollary derived from the lack of stimulus and of vitality. That modesty infused into the convictions of everyone, or, to speak more clearly, that insinuated inferiority, a sort of daily and constant depreciation of the mind so that it may not be raised to the regions of life, deadens the energies, paralyzes all tendencies toward advancement, and of the least struggle a man gives up without fighting. If by one of those rare incidents, some wild spirit, that is some active one, excels, instead of his example stimulating, it only causes others to persist in their inaction. Theres one who will work for us; lets sleep on! say his relatives and friends. True it is that the spirit of rivalry is sometimes awakened, only that then it awakens with bad humor in the guise of envy, and instead of being a lever for helping, it is an obstacle that produces discouragement. 10. How do we know there was no national sentiment? -Absence of all opposition to measures prejudicial to the people and the absence of any initiative in whatever may redound to its good. A man in the Philippines is only an individual, he is not a member of a nation. He is forbidden and denied the right of association, and is, therefore, weak and sluggish. The Philippines is an organism whose cells seem to have no arterial system to irrigate it or nervous system to communicate its impressions; these cells must, nevertheless, yield their product, get it where they can; if they perish, let them perish. In the view of some this is expedient so that a colony may be a colony; perhaps they are right, but not the effect that a colony may flourish.

Methods for Water Treatment

Methods for Water Treatment 1.12.2 Effect of chlorination of water Chlorine is toxic not only for microorganisms, but for human being also. For humans, chlorine is an irritation to the nasal passages eye, and respiratory system. Chlorine gas must be cautiously handled because it may cause severe health problem. Although, chlorine gas is also the low rate form of chlorine for water treatment, It makes use choice in spite of the health problem. In drinking water, the concentration of chlorine is usually very low and is thus not a concern in acute exposure. More of a concern is the long term risk of cancer due to chronic exposing to chlorinated water. This is mainly due to the halo alkanes and other products and chlorinated products. These are carcinogenic and have been the substance of concern in chlorinated drinking water. Chlorinated water has been related with increased risk of bladder, colon and rectal cancer. In the case of bladder cancer, the risk may be doubled. Chlorination is a very popular method of water disinfection that has been used from several years. It has proved to be efficient for destroying bacteria and viruses, but not for some carcinogenic disinfection by-product, many communities have become hesitant in the continuation of this process. Although chlorination does have some disadvantages, it continues to be the most conventional, useful, and consistent method of water disinfection. 1.13 Oxidation by potassium permanganate Most treatment plants, uses potassium permanganate for the oxidation and subsequent removal of iron, follow the chemical addition with manganese greensand filtration. Manganese treated greensand can exchange electrons and therefore oxidizes iron and manganese to their insoluble, filterable states [[1][2]]. When the filter is completely regenerated the excess KMnO4 will break through the filter bed leaving a pink color in the water. The greensand filter bed is usually capped with anthracite to first remove insoluble compounds, which helps prevent the filter from becoming clogged. Most filters are equipped with an air wash system to enhance the greens and backwashing process. Major disadvantages to the use of the potassium permanganate – greens and filtration process for iron removal include high chemical costs and filter bed deterioration when the pH falls below 7.0. In some treatment plants, KMnO4 is used to oxidize iron and manganese without greensand filtration[[3]]and analytical chemistry [[4]] and also as a disinfectant. Among the six oxidation states of manganese from +2 to +7, permanganate, Mn(VII) is the most pervasive oxidation state in acid, with reduction potentials of [[5]]Oxidation by permanganate finds extensive application in organic synthesis [[6]].The manganese c hemistry involved in these multistep redox reactions is an important source of information as the manganese intermediates are relatively easy to identify when they have sufficiently long lifetimes, and oxidation states of the intermediates permit useful conclusions as to the possible reaction mechanisms, including the nature of intermediates. In acidic medium it exists in the different forms: HMnO4, H2MnO+4, HMnO3 and Mn2O7. The thesis comprises seven chapters including the general introduction about chemical kinetics as follows. 1.  General Introduction This chapter introduces about the kinetics, mechanisms, disinfection and catalysis of reactions in general. PART I Uncatalyzed reactions 2. Transformation of Levofloxacin during Water treatment with chlorine: Kinetics, Mechanism and Pathways Kinetics and mechanism of removal of fluoroquinolone antibacterial levofloxacin (LFC) by free available chlorine (FAC) during water chlorination processes was investigated for the first time between the pH values 4.2 and 8.5. The pH dependent second order rate constants were found to decrease with increase in pH. (e.g. Apparent second order rate constant; k†app = 20 dm3 mol-1 s-1 at pH 4.2 and k†app = 1 dm3 mol-1 s-1 at pH 8.5 and at 25 oC). The products of the reaction were determined by Liquid chromatography and high resolution mass spectrometry. There are two plausible pathways for the LFC chlorination. The major channel is electrophilic halodecarboxylation of quinolone moiety in which, HOCl reacts at tertiary N(4) amine to form a reactive chlorammonium intermediate (R3N(4)Cl+) that can catalytically halogenate LFC and the minor channel is chlorination at piperazinyl moiety in which the HOCl reacts at tertiary N(4) amine to form a reactive chlorammonium intermediate (R 3N(4)Cl+) followed by intermediate degradation both at piperazinyl and quinolone moiety with successive chlorination. The effect of temperature on the rate of the reaction was studied at four different temperatures and rate constants were found to increase with increase in temperature and the thermodynamic activation parameters Ea, ΔH#, ΔS# and ΔG# were evaluated for the reaction and discussed. 3. Transformation of linezolid during water treatment with chlorine: A kinetic study The experimental studies on transformation of emerging contaminant linezolid during water chlorination process have been carried out using UV-Visible spectrometer. The pseudo-first order rate constants of linezolid reaction with free available chlorine (FAC) at 5.0 to 8.8 pH have been determined. The second order rate constants are found to decrease with increase in pH (e.g. apparent second rate constant; k†app=2.88 dm3 mol-1s-1 at pH 5.0 and k†app = 0.076 dm3 mol-1 s-1 at pH 8.8 at 298K). Monochlorinated reaction product has been identified by LC/ESI/MS spectra under the experimental conditions. A mechanism involving electrophilic halogenation is proposed based on the kinetic data and LC/ESI/MS spectra. The effect of temperature on the rate of the reaction has been studied at four different temperatures. It is observed that rate constants increase with the increase in temperature and the thermodynamic activation parameters Ea, ΔH#, ΔS# and ΔG# are evaluated for the reaction and discussed. The product of the reaction between linezolid and FAC retains the antibacterial activity. The geometry optimization of the reactants and the products has been done using dispersion corrected density functional (DFT-D) method. All the DFT calculations are accomplished using the TurboMole-5.10 package. 4. Transformation of antibacterial agent lomefloxacin by alkaline permanganate: Kinetics and Mechanism The kinetic and mechanistic investigation of oxidation of emerging contaminant Lomefloxacin (LMF) by alkaline permanganate was carried out spectrophtometrically. The oxidation product 7-amino-1-ethyl-6,8-difluoro-4-oxo-quinoline-3-carboxylic acid was identified by Agilent 6130 Series Quadrupole LC/MS. The stoichiometry was found to be 1:2, that is, 1 mol of lomefloxacin reacted with 2 mol manganese (VII). Orders with respect to [LMF] and [OH] were found to be fractional and less that one. The oxidation reaction proceeds via an alkali-permanganate species, that forms a complex with lomefloxacin and the complex then decomposes to give the product. The rate of reaction was found to decrease with decrease in the dielectric constant. The effects of initially added products and ionic strength have also been investigated. The kinetics of the reaction was also studied at four different temperatures and the thermodynamic activation parameters for the reaction were evaluated and discussed. The geometry optimization of reactants and activated complex were carried out using density functional theory (DFT). The DFT calculations were accomplished with the TURBOMOLE program package (Version-6.4). The activation energy was found to be ~21 kJ/mol at RI-BP86.def 2-TZVPP level of theory. PART II CATALYSED REACTIONS 5. Silver (I) catalyzed and uncatalyzed oxidation of levofloxacin with aqueous chlorine: A comparative kinetic and mechanistic approach The kinetics and mechanism of the Ag (I) ion catalyzed reaction of levofloxacin (LFC) by free available chlorine (FAC) during water chlorination processes was investigated for the first time between the pH values 4.2 and 8.2. The pH dependent second order rate constants were found to decrease with increase in pH. (e.g. Apparent second order rate constant for Ag (I) catalyzed reaction, k†app = 114.40 dm-3 mol-1 sec-1 at pH 4.2 and k† app. = 8.72 dm-3mol-1 sec-1 at pH 8.2 and at 25 ±0.2 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™). The reaction rates revealed that Ag (I) catalyzed reaction was about six-fold faster than the uncatalyzed reaction. The products of the reaction were determined by Liquid chromatography and high resolution mass spectrometry. The reaction proceeds via formation of intermediate complex between Ag (I) ion and levofloxacin, then HOCl reacts with the complex to form chlorinated product. The effect of catalyst, effect of initially added product, effect dielectric constant and effect ionic strength on the rate of reaction was also studied. The effect of temperature on the rate of the reaction was studied at four different temperatures and rate constants were found to increase with increase in temperature and the thermodynamic activation parameters Ea, ΔH#, ΔS# and ΔG# were evaluated for the reaction and discussed. 6. Ag (I) catalyzed chlorination of linezolid during water treatment: Kinetics, mechanism The kinetics and mechanism of the Ag (I) ion catalyzed reaction of linezolid (LNZ) by free available chlorine (FAC) during water chlorination processes was investigated for the first time between the pH values 4.0 and 9.0. The pseudo-first order rate constants of linezolid reaction with free available chlorine (FAC) at 4.0 to 9.0 pH have been determined. The pH dependent second order rate constants were found to decrease with increase in pH. Apparent second order rate constant for uncatalyzed reaction, e.g. k†app = 8.15 dm-3 mol-1 sec-1 at pH 4.0 and k† app. = 0.076 dm-3mol-1 sec-1 at pH 9.0 and at 25 ±0.2 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ and for Ag (I) catalyzed reaction total apparent second order rate constant, e.g. k†app = 51.50 dm-3 mol-1 sec-1 at pH 4.0 and k† app. = 1.03 dm-3mol-1 sec-1 at pH 9.0 and at 25 ±0.2 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™. The reaction rates revealed that Ag (I) catalyzed reaction was about five to ten-fold faster than the uncatalyzed reaction. Monochlorinate d reaction product has been identified by LC/ESI/MS spectra under the experimental conditions. A mechanism involving electrophilic halogenation is proposed based on the kinetic data and LC/ESI/MS spectra. The reaction rates revealed that Ag (I) catalyzed reaction was about ten-fold faster than the uncatalyzed reaction.The reaction proceeds via formation of intermediate complex between Ag (I) ion and linezolid, then HOCl reacts with the complex to form chlorinated product. The effect of temperature on the rate of the reaction has been studied at four different temperatures. It is observed that rate constants increase with the increase in temperature and the thermodynamic activation parameters Ea, ΔH#, ΔS# and ΔG# are evaluated for the reaction and discussed. The effect of catalyst, effect of initially added product, effect dielectric constant and effect ionic strength on the rate of reaction. The product of the reaction between linezolid and FAC retains the antibacterial activity. 7. Transformation of linezolid during water treatment with permanganate: Kinetics, mechanism and Pd (II) catalysis The uncatalyzed and Pd (II) catalyzed transformation of Linezolid (LNZ) with permanganate in acidic medium was carried out between the pH values 3.0 and 6.0. The pH dependent second order rate constants were found to decrease with increase in pH. Apparent second order rate constant for uncatalyzed reaction, e.g. k†app = 6.32 dm-3 mol-1 sec-1 at pH 3.0 and k† app. = 2.64 dm-3mol-1 sec-1 at pH 6.0 and at 25 ±0.2 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ and for Pd (II) catalyzed reaction total apparent second order rate constant, e.g. k†app = 75.5 dm-3 mol-1 sec-1 at pH 3.0 and k† app. = 45.66 dm-3mol-1 sec-1 at pH 6.0 and at 25 ±0.2 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™. The reaction rates revealed that Pd (II) catalyzed reaction was about ten-fold faster than the uncatalyzed reaction. The products of the reaction were determined by Liquid chromatography and high resolution mass spectrometry. The reaction proceeds via formation of complex between Pd (II) and linezolid, then complex reacts with acidic p ermanganate to form intermediate compound, which then form oxidized products. The effect of catalyst, effect of initially added product, effect dielectric constant and effect ionic strength on the rate of reaction were also studied. The effect of temperature on the rate of the reaction was studied at four different temperatures and rate constants were found to increase with increase in temperature and the thermodynamic activation parameters Ea, ΔH#, ΔS# and ΔG# were evaluated for the reaction and discussed. References [1]. w. Stumm, and J.J. Morgan, Aquatic Chemistry. Wiley Interscience, New York, 1967. [2]. J. Hoigne, H. Bader, W.R. Haag and J. Staehelin, Rate Constants of Reactions of Ozone with Organic and Inorganic Compounds in water III, Water Res., Vol. 19(8), 1985, pp.993. [3]. L.D. Benefield, J.F. Judkins and B.L. Weand , Iron and Manganese Removal, from Process Chemistry for water and wastewater Treatment, ed. J.M. Chege, Prentice Hall, Inc., Englewood CliffS, N.J.,1982. [4]. G.A. Hiremath, P.L.Timmanagoudar and S. T. Nandibewoor, Kinetics of oxidation of thallium (I) by permanganate in aqueous hydrochloric acid medium using stopped flow technique. Transit. Met. Chem. Vol.21, 1996, pp. 560–568. [5]. M.C. Day and J.Selbin, Theoretical Inorganic Chemistry, Reinhold, New York, 1964,  pp. 226–233. [6]. P. Caron, R.W. Dugger, J.A.Ruggeri and D.H.Brown Ripin, Large scale oxidations in the pharmaceutical industry. Chem. Rev. Vol.106, 2006, pp. 2943–2989.

A Violent Message in the Art of Popular Culture Essay -- Pop Culture R

A â€Å"Violent† Message in the Art of Popular Culture Many people believe that present-day music cause division, tension, and sometimes violence. However, it is acknowledged as art in popular culture. Art in popular culture revolves around action movies, television sitcoms, and provocative song lyrics, which have themes centered on explicit sexuality. Art in popular culture is embodied in music, dance, photography, and other artwork that embraces the ills of the world and acknowledges that they are appealing to the senses of people who live in a not so perfect world. Many critics say that popular culture is a product of generation X. A messed up group of people. What is wrong with popular culture? Why do the baby boomers regale this era of popular culture an era of madness? The answer is blatantly clear. Popular culture accepts the flaws of all its admirers and participants. For example, music in popular culture is generally deemed as negative. However, a positive consequence is that it has an international language and every one around the world can relate to what it communicates. Art in popular culture encompasses a common language, especially the art of music. This language rejects the sophisticated, civilized, intellectuals. For instance, popular culture inhibits the old, boring, classical music that operated out of the same musical dictionary and responded to the same chords. Whereas, music in popular culture rejects harmony as being important and values improvisation that breathes life-giving rhythm in non-structural chords. Music in popular culture is a genre distinct from both folk and classical music genres. According to The New Harvard Dictionary, it differed from the former being composed and notat... ...lent in this country. Some examples of Manson’s music, which can influence youth of today or could have taken the life of the young teenager previously mentioned are Dried Up, Tied Up and Dead to the World; Get Your Gun; Cake and Sodomy; Organ Grinder; Snake Eyes and Sissies; and etc. It is funny how rap and hip hop is essentially the only thing deemed violent, but popular culture stems from chaotic and violent factors. The two examples above can vouch for the previous statement. When looking at other outcomes of popular culture such as slasher movies with explicit sex scenes; talk shows that depicts American women as housewives or whores; or people like Monica Lewinsky who shows her bloomers to married men, popular culture music genres are just artistic expressions that mirror societal values in popular culture. Sometimes people do not like the reflection.

In One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest, Why Does Chief Bromden trust, Essay

In One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, Why Does Chief Bromden trust, befriend and then murder Randle Patrick McMurphy? First published in 1962, 'One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest'-the book by Ken Kesey- follows the journey of a man named Randle Patrick McMurphy through a North American mental institution in the 1960s. McMurphy is a prisoner who pleaded insanity in order to escape a lengthy prison sentence for statutory rape-which turns out to have been with an underage girl; "Whoa. Couldn't make that stick', McMurphy says to the doctor. 'Girl wouldn't testify.' 'With a child of fifteen.' 'She said she was seventeen Doc, and she was plenty willin." Introduced from the outset as an outspoken, yet amiable rogue, McMurphy is cowboy-like in manner and attire; 'He shows up in the door and stops and hitches his thumbs in his pockets, boots wide apart, and stands there with the guys looking at him.' 'broad across the jaw and shoulders and chest, with a broad white devilish grin.' His arrival on the ward is alarming and exciting to the patients already there, as McMurphy's loud, outspoken, outgoing personality clashes with the calm, quiet, subdued atmosphere of their daily lives, and his presence affects the lives of everyone on the ward, including the staff. Another central character to the book is Head Nurse Ratched. A formidable character, Ratched is perpetually calm, precise and organised, and yet she is calculating, manipulative and indirectly coercive. Ratched runs the men's ward like clockwork, using carefully devised schedules, medications and unspoken threats of punishment, retaining her power over the patients by using the three unpleasant, angry black men-known only as 'the black b... ...imation, no personality, in a conscious but vegetate state. When Chief Bromden finds out what has been done to McMurphy, and the state that he will now be in for the rest of his life, he ponders on what McMurphy would have done in his place. He decides that death is a more worthy and dignified fate for McMurphy than the bleak, empty existence that lies ahead of him. The Chief waits until nightfall, then he picks up a pillow and uses it to smother McMurphy until he suffocates. He closes McMurphy's glazed eyes and goes back to bed. After a short time of reflection, the Chief decides to escape from the institution- what he had once regarded as his only safe haven, and now regards as a prison. The Chief goes to the bathroom and hurls a chrome sink through a window, climbs out and runs off into the night. This 'escape' marks the end of the story.

Wood Imagery and the Cross in Faulkners Light in August Essay

Wood Imagery and the Cross in Light in August  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚   It is nearly impossible to interpret Light in August without noting the Christian parallels.1 Beekman Cottrell explains: As if for proof that such a [Christian] symbolic interpretation is valid, Faulkner gives us, on the outer or upper level of symbolism, certain facts which many readers have noted and which are, indeed, inescapable. There is the name of Joe Christmas, with its initials of JC. There is the fact of his uncertain paternity and his appearance at the orphanage on Christmas day. Joe is approximately thirty-three years of age at his lynching, and this event is prepared for throughout the novel by Faulkner's constant use of the word crucifixion. These are firm guideposts, and there are perhaps others as convincing. (207) In fact, there are many more convincing Christian symbolisms, which, in sum, have led to Virginia Hlavsa's suggestion that in Light in August "Faulkner arranged his events and directed his themes to parallel the 21 chapters of the St. John Gospel" ("St. John and Frazer" 11).2    These symbolisms, however, stray from the text of Light in August and seek to unify the novel through biblical or mythic allusions alone. They attempt to answer the questions of how Light in August functions as a work of literature by avoiding the novel itself. Because of this, they each fall short of being a definitive interpretation of the novel. In Francois Pitavy's view, these critics do not base their interpretations on "methodical analysis." They do not "study each chapter or group of chapters to see how and why the spatial and temporal breaks occur" (2). Faulkner's use of Christian myths in Light in August has produced jagged paths for critic... ...uri State University, 1995. Gwynn, Frederick L., and Joseph Blotner, eds. Faulkner in the University. Charlottesville: University of Virginia, 1959. Hlavsa, VirginiaV. "The Crucifixion in Light in August: Suspending the Rules at the Post." Faulkner and Religion: Faulkner and Yoknapatawpha 1987. Ed. Doreen Fowler and Ann J. Abadie. Jackson: UP of Mississippi, 1989: 127-139. -------. "St. John and Frazer in Light in August: Biblical Form and Mythic Function."Bulletin of Research in the Humanities 83 (1980): 9-26. -------. "The Mirror, the Lamp, and the Bed: Faulkner and the Modernists." American Literature 57 (1985): 23-43. Meriwether, James B., and Michael Millgate, eds. Lion in the Garden: Interviews with William Faulkner 1926-1962. New York: Random House, 1968. Pitavy, Francois. Faulkner's "Light in August." Bloomington: Indiana UP, 1973    Wood Imagery and the Cross in Faulkner's Light in August Essay Wood Imagery and the Cross in Light in August  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚   It is nearly impossible to interpret Light in August without noting the Christian parallels.1 Beekman Cottrell explains: As if for proof that such a [Christian] symbolic interpretation is valid, Faulkner gives us, on the outer or upper level of symbolism, certain facts which many readers have noted and which are, indeed, inescapable. There is the name of Joe Christmas, with its initials of JC. There is the fact of his uncertain paternity and his appearance at the orphanage on Christmas day. Joe is approximately thirty-three years of age at his lynching, and this event is prepared for throughout the novel by Faulkner's constant use of the word crucifixion. These are firm guideposts, and there are perhaps others as convincing. (207) In fact, there are many more convincing Christian symbolisms, which, in sum, have led to Virginia Hlavsa's suggestion that in Light in August "Faulkner arranged his events and directed his themes to parallel the 21 chapters of the St. John Gospel" ("St. John and Frazer" 11).2    These symbolisms, however, stray from the text of Light in August and seek to unify the novel through biblical or mythic allusions alone. They attempt to answer the questions of how Light in August functions as a work of literature by avoiding the novel itself. Because of this, they each fall short of being a definitive interpretation of the novel. In Francois Pitavy's view, these critics do not base their interpretations on "methodical analysis." They do not "study each chapter or group of chapters to see how and why the spatial and temporal breaks occur" (2). Faulkner's use of Christian myths in Light in August has produced jagged paths for critic... ...uri State University, 1995. Gwynn, Frederick L., and Joseph Blotner, eds. Faulkner in the University. Charlottesville: University of Virginia, 1959. Hlavsa, VirginiaV. "The Crucifixion in Light in August: Suspending the Rules at the Post." Faulkner and Religion: Faulkner and Yoknapatawpha 1987. Ed. Doreen Fowler and Ann J. Abadie. Jackson: UP of Mississippi, 1989: 127-139. -------. "St. John and Frazer in Light in August: Biblical Form and Mythic Function."Bulletin of Research in the Humanities 83 (1980): 9-26. -------. "The Mirror, the Lamp, and the Bed: Faulkner and the Modernists." American Literature 57 (1985): 23-43. Meriwether, James B., and Michael Millgate, eds. Lion in the Garden: Interviews with William Faulkner 1926-1962. New York: Random House, 1968. Pitavy, Francois. Faulkner's "Light in August." Bloomington: Indiana UP, 1973   

Normality Is Simply the Absence of Abnormality

Life is complex and things do not always go smoothly. We are all troubled by major and minor tragedies. So why are some people, but not others, able to cope with life’s problems. What is abnormal behavior? Most of us would have a difficult time precisely specifying the differences between normal and abnormal behaviour. Some psychologists have argued that abnormal behaviour is culturally defined, and that behaviour that is considered evidence of a mental disorder in one culture, would be considered normal in another. There may be some truth in this, but severe disorders such as schizophrenia occur in people of all cultures, regardless of their particular lifestyles. People whose behaviour differs widely and steadily from normal social requirements or social ‘norms’ are called abnormal. Societies differ in their requirements, an act that is normal in one place may be abnormal in another. There is no society that does not have some moral, ethical or criminal laws. In every society, consistent, serious and inappropriate disobedience is considered a sign of abnormality. How exactly do we distinguish normal from abnormal behaviour? Abnormal behaviour is fairly easy to recognise but difficult to define precisely. Various psychologists have suggested the following four major criteria of abnormality, although no single criterion is completely satisfactory. *Abnormal as infrequent. *Abnormal as deviant. *Abnormal as maladaptive, and *Abnormal as personal distress. At some time all of us feel, think or act as disturbed people would much of the time. We too may be anxious, depressed, withdrawn or anti-social. Abnormal people share these characteristics with ‘normal’ people, but their experience is intensified and more enduring. Most people would agree that someone who is too depressed to get out of bed for weeks at a time is suffering from a psychological disorder. But what about those who, having experienced a loss, are unable to resume their usual social activities? Where should we draw the line between normality and abnormality. In other words how should we define psychological disorders? Or equally important, how should we understand disorders as sicknesses that need to be diagnosed and cured, or as natural responses to a troubled environment.

This Emotional Life Summary

This video talked about how and why we need relationship with others through family, friend and the case of lovers. In the beginning of the video psychologist, Daniel Gilbert, states that successful relationship gives us happiness. Moreover it also led to our emotional well being. On the section of family, it focused on the attachment. Children have problem communicating and building relationship, in most of the time, are lack of the love. Especially from the mother or care givers. When the period of crying and learning the surroundings, they have learned that they were not being pay attention. Also there is no one to protect and comfort them. Oxytocin a hormone plays an important role in social relationship because it helps format the attachment. In other words, to form a close relationship such as friends and parents it is necessary to create that hormone. The experiment between adopted and natural mother-child had shown that natural mother-child’s oxytocin increased. However the adopted one didn’t. It also mentioned that it is not only the child that gets influenced by, but also the parents too. By experimenting where mothers’ brain work by seeing their child’s emotions, stated that the part of â€Å"need to pay attention† have worked actively. On the next section about the friend, it focused on communication. People gets stress when they feel lonely which would led to hart disease, diabetes, accidents, and suicide.

Powerful Women and Submissive Women in Njal’s Saga and the Bible Essay

Ancient societies and their cultures traditionally provided women with no access to power. It was nearly universal for women to be treated as subservient to men while being expected to behave mildly and submissively. The New Testament makes no exception. The Apostle Paul explains that through Christ, women are absolved of constraints that the social hierarchy imposes on them, but he later goes on to explain that even in Christ a religious hierarchy still exists. By acknowledging that women are inferior to men in both the social and religious circles, Paul presents women as subordinates. This contrasts with Njal’s Saga. Through the saga’s characters Gunnhild, Hallgerd, and Bergthora, the unknown author presents the way Icelandic society treats women as property to men, and demonstrates women as powerful and influential characters who hold their individual desires to a higher degree to those of men; acting as catalysts of conflicts among men and the overall plot itself. In Njal’s Saga, the author introduces the Queen of Norway, Gunnhild, in the beginning of the story. Gunnhild’s position in society as a powerful character is demonstrated when she sends a servant for the traveling Icelanders, Hrut and Ozur, saying, â€Å"Tell them that I invite them both to spend the winter with me and that I want to be their friend. If Hrut listens to my advice I will look after his property claim†¦ I’ll also put in a good word for him with the king. † The two give their response when Ozur says, â€Å"It’s clear to me, kinsman, that we have already taken our decision, for I know Gunnhild: if we don’t go to her she will drive us from our land and grab all our possessions. But if we go to her she will show us the honour she has promised (Njal’s Saga, 7). â€Å" Rather than simply disregarding the woman and approaching the king, here the two Icelanders acknowledge a woman’s (Gunnhild’s) power to take away their possessions and act to avoid this from occurring. Additionally, Hrut and Ozur’s realization of the strategic benefit that follows when submitting to Gunnhild as well as the quoted promise suggests that they also acknowledge that Gunnhild may possess significant influence in decisions. This suggestion is eventually confirmed when she successfully convinces the King to accept Hrut as a bodyguard (Njal’s Saga, 8). Even though the King is the superior, Gunnhild still possesses the ability to influence him. Her influence demonstrates her ability to assume and exercise a degree of power. It is through her power that Gunnhild goes on to instigate a chain of events. After having Hrut as a lover for several seasons, Gunnhild reasserts her power when Hrut asks to return to Iceland. Though she lets him return, she sends a curse along with him. She says, â€Å"If I have as much power over you as I think I have, then I cast this spell: you will not have sexual pleasure with the woman you plan to marry in Iceland, though you’ll be able to have your will with other women. Neither of us comes out of this well, because you did not tell me the truth (Njal’s Saga, 13). † The curse she places on Hrut actually comes true (Njal’s Saga, 16). Hrut cannot please his wife and Gunnhild’s desire to hold a degree of dominance over Hrut is fulfilled. Because Hrut wants to please his wife but cannot, his desires are unfulfilled. This suggests that Gunnhild’s demands and desires are superior to those of men. It is the demands and desires of a woman that instigate events. The author immediately presents Gunnhild in the very first significant event of the Saga, as a woman with power. It is through this that it is ultimately suggested that the tone of behavior of women is established early in the saga. The behavioral tone set by Gunnhild is echoed through Hallgerd, Gunnar’s wife. Her desire to preserve her honor in the face of Bergthora, Njal’s wife, as well as her position of power allows her to trigger a series of conflicts. At a customary feast between the families of Njal and Gunnar, Hallgerd and Bergthora engage in an argument, attacking each other’s honor. Gunnar refuses to defend his wife, saying, â€Å"I’m going home, and it would be best for you to pick quarrels with your servants, and not in the dwellings of others. I’m in debt to Njal for many honours, and I’m not going to be a cat’s paw for you. When the time comes for the men to ride to the â€Å"Thing,† Gunnar tells Hallgerd, â€Å"Behave yourself while I’m away and don’t show your bad temper where my friends are concerned. † Hallgerd, thinking that Bergthora is plotting to steal excess wood from a forest shared between Gunnar and Njal, sends her servant, Kol, to kill Svart Bergthora’s servant who is innocently collect ing wood (he does so) (Njal’s Saga, 57-59). Here Gunnar clearly expresses his friendship with Njal and his disdain for his wife’s behavior. Even though Gunnar clearly commands his wife to not act against his friends, Hallgerd refuses to relinquish her anger and desire for honor and disregards Gunnar’s demands. Hallgerd’s desire to preserve her honor by causing the death of Svart demonstrates her ability to incorporate her desires into her decisions. Combined with her authority over her servants, she clearly possesses the ability to make crucial decisions. This particular decision results in the death of another’s family, which in turn instigates reoccurring conflict between Njal and Gunnar. It could be argued that women do not actually possess power because it is not exercised against the will of man when he is present, based on Gunnar’s absence during Hallgerd’s actions. This argument is rejected because the feud between Hallgerd and Bergthora still disregards their husbands’ demands to retain peace. Disregarding a man’s will, whether in his absence or not, indicates a lack of absolute authority over women. Because of this disregard, women appear to have authority over their own lives and decisions. Even Gunnar acknowledges this when he â€Å"said she would decide her own actions – ‘but I shall decide how the cases are settled (Njal’s Saga, 60). ’† This clearly demonstrates the husband’s inability to assert complete dominance over his wife, leaving only the decision of the consequences of the women’s actions to the men. Again, the desires of the women take precedence over the demands of the men. On the other hand, the Apostle Paul presents women as completely subordinate to men, expected to never act on their own desires and to submit to God and their husbands. Paul does this by establishing women’s inferiority in both the social and religious hierarchy. He first says, â€Å"For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus (Gal. 3:27-28). † Here Paul is acknowledging that in his society, like the Jews, Greeks, and slaves, women are repressed and that the following of Christ does not discriminate against these social restraints. Because there is no discrimination through Christ, it could be argued that Paul is preaching religious equality among women. However, he goes on to establish women’s inferiority even in religion. I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the husband is the head of his wife, and God is the head of Christ. Any man who prays or prophesies with something on his head disgraces his head, but any woman who prays or prophesies with her head unveiled disgraces her head†¦ For a man ought not to have his head veiled since he is the image and reflection of God; but woman is the reflection of man (Cor. 1:3-16). Here Paul clearly expresses that the religious hierarchy is as follows: God, then Christ, then man, and finally women. In that order Paul establishes a chain of command per se. Paul clearly places men above women in this hierarchy, which clearly indicates women’s inferiority to men in religion. His decree that women should wear a veil when prayin g or prophesizing is reflective of this hierarchy; the veil is a symbol of a woman’s subordination to man and therefore God. This means that equality in religion does not exist between men and women. Because Paul acknowledges that social restraints on women do in fact exist and because he establishes a religious hierarchy with men outranking women, it is assumed that Paul views women as generally inferior to men in both social and religious spheres. Although Paul’s letters to both the Galatians and the Corinthians do not refer to any specific women, they establish his expectations of women. Paul’s identification of women as both socially and religiously inferior creates a general air of inferiority for women, which contrasts with the women of Njal’s Saga who possess actual power over men, able to instigate events and conflicts between men. The women of Njal’s Saga are not totally confined to any kind of hierarchy , while those that Paul speaks of are. The role of women in varying societies has been a dilemma in today’s contemporary age. The increasing number of those who view women as independent and equal to men combats firm-standing traditions and cultures that expect women to behave as subordinates to men. Many religions to this day implement the same expectations (to be mild and submissive to men) of women that Paul shares in both their social and cultural, as well as their religious spheres. In other parts of the world women hold influential positions of power, from independent mothers to high-ranking political officers. The dilemma of the role of women in society is prominent in every society, forming a variety of societies due to their adherence to social and more often than not, religious customs.